1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to missile or projectile systems for aerial transport and release of preselected substances into the atmosphere. In more particular respects, the present invention pertains to a system adapted to be launched along an aerial path of travel and during such travel to dispense one or more preselected substances into the atmosphere in a highly dispersed condition. In still further respects, the present invention concerns a deception system for aerial deployment to protect airborne objects from locational determination by various electronic or radar tracking and/or detection devices, and in more particular respects, pertains to a deception system which is adapted to be launched into an aerial path of travel and to dispel charges of lightweight debris, chaff, or the like, possessing the capability of simulating the electronic or radar tracking chracteristics, or pattern, depicted by a given airborne object and thereby screen or otherwise hinder, or impede, effective locational detection and determination of the airborne object or objects sought to be protected and especially relatively slowmoving aircraft, such as, for example, a helicopter or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been a common tactic to attempt to disrupt the locational tracking capability of electronic or radar tracking devices by the ploy of aerially dispersing lightweight debris, or chaff, to divert or decoy, enemy gunfire and missiles away from friendly aircraft desired to be protected. Heretofore, although numerous types of decoy materials have been found to be suitable for the purpose of providing disruption of electronic or radar tracking signals, chaff, which is customarily composed of a multitude of discrete particles or separate masses of metallic or metallic-coated material structurally embodied in various forms, such as powder, thin strips, flakes, fibers, chips or the like, has been found to be especially suitable for such purposes.
Unlike the highly sophisticated and complex targetseeking and aiming types of systems in modern-day use, older radar and electronic tracking and aiming systems were relatively unsophisticated and susceptible to disruption of tracking signals by relatively unsophisticated means such as, for example, the manual dispensation of chaff through portals in the crew compartments of an airborne aircraft. Subsequently, such manual dispensation procedures gave way to more advanced forms of mechanical dispensation of radar-disrupting, chaff materials which, in turn, progressed to forceable, ejector systems of various forms, and ultimately to pyrotechnic-type ejectors. The technological advancement of such antidetection, or deception, devices was, however, accompanied by steadily evolving technological advances in opposing detection systems which such antidetection systems were being designed to disrupt. Thus, there has evolved over a period of time a progressive sequence of measures and countermeasures directed towards obtaining superiority, respectively, in the detection and the nondetection of airborne objects such as aircraft. Moreover, efforts at achieving such superiority have continued to constitute a major ongoing endeavor. Thus, despite the technological advancements which have heretofore been attained in counteracting the effectiveness of electronic and radar detection systems in locating and tracking airborne targets such as aircraft, significant further advances continue to be necessary in order to continue to provide requisite protection to friendly aircraft engaged in military operations. For example, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,571, issued Apr. 1, 1980 to Charles W. Beeker, one of the coinventors herein, and William J. Pribyl, discloses a unique system for aerial deployment and rapid explosive discharge and dispersal of a large quantity, or mass, of particulate chaff as a deceptive measure against radar detection and weaponfire, such a system has somewhat limited capabilities. For example, according to the concepts disclosed in the last-mentioned patent, the chaff is explosively discharged and disseminated over a large region to produce a relatively massive, single cloud of chaff material of sufficient size, quantity and concentration to effectively screen an aircraft located behind the cloud from actual locational detection by electronic surveillance devices, such as radar or the like. Moreover, although the cloud may also serve to provide a dummy target with which to decoy enemy fire away from the actual airborne target after the aircraft has advanced from behind the cloud, a 50--50 opportunity of correctly directing weaponfire to the actual target still remains. Moreover, since only two targets are the subject of choice, weaponfire may be quickly diverted from one target to the other before the actual target has adequate time to advance out of effective firing range. No less importantly, discriminating tracking devices and equipment can be readily systemized to direct dual weaponfire at both the dummy target and the actual target. Hence, the actual target may still remain in serious jeopardy of being destroyed, since only two projectiles or fire patterns would be required to provide assurance that weaponfire is being directed towards the actual or real target. Clearly, therefore, a system for providing a greater degree of deception for airborne objects, such as aircraft, is of utmost importance, and the attainment of such a system continues to remain a matter of significant consequence.